Some days call for a big route. Others call for a loop through the trees and a warm drink afterward.
The weeks between fall color and the first real snow are some of the best of the year to be outside around here. The trails are quiet, the moss is glowing, and every creek is running. You just have to pick the right places and start a little earlier.
What’s good right now.
- Waterfalls
- Fall rain turns trickles into the real thing. This is when falls hikes are at their loudest and best.
- Old growth and moss
- Low-elevation forest is at its greenest when it’s wet. Big trees, ferns, and a little fog are the whole point. The Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula is the famous one; plenty of low trails closer to Seattle deliver the same feeling.
- Lower trails, not high passes
- By November, snow is usually sitting on the higher trails and passes. Save the alpine lakes and ridges for summer and the larches for next October.
- Weekdays and rain breaks
- Even popular trailheads empty out this time of year. A dry window between storms can make for a perfect morning.
On the way to Stevens.
US-2 has two good leg-stretchers once the mountain opens, and great hikes before it does:
- Wallace Falls, near Gold Bar
- A steady climb through forest to a series of big waterfalls, at their best after rain. It’s a state park, so bring a Discover Pass.
- Iron Goat Trail, near Skykomish
- An easy, nearly flat walk along the old Great Northern railway grade, past tunnels and snowsheds. Lots of history, little climbing. Needs a Northwest Forest Pass.
Check recent WTA trip reports before you go; they’re the best way to know what a trail is like this week.
Plan it in five minutes.
- Daylight. By mid-November it’s dark around 4:30. Pick a turnaround time that gets you back to the car with an hour of light to spare.
- This week’s conditions. Read the latest trip reports and the forecast for the trail itself, not for Seattle. Snow, washouts, and closed roads are common this time of year.
- The right pass. State parks take a Discover Pass; most national forest trailheads take a Northwest Forest Pass; national parks have their own entry.
- Tell someone. Where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Phone signal disappears fast once you leave the highway.
- A plan B. A shorter loop nearby, so turning around early still feels like a good day.
What to bring.
The Ten Essentials cover the basics. For a Northwest fall day, the ones that matter most:
A trip card for the fridge.
Print or copy into a note
Our day outside.
Who / date: ______________________________
Trail / trailhead: ______________________________
Turnaround time / back at the car by: ____________________
Plan B: ______________________________
If we’re not back by ________, call: ______________________________
Leave it with someone at home, and tell them when you’re back, even if you changed plans.
Bring one useful note home.
Back at the car with a warm drink, take two minutes: what would you do differently next time? Too much in the pack, a later start than you wanted, a viewpoint worth coming back for in summer. Save it with the trail, and next year’s trip starts smarter. Then post a trip report of your own; someone else is planning the same hike.